


Afterimages

by tocasia



Series: Our Shining Past [38]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: #sailthecosmos, AU, Angst, Cait Sith's sleazy jazz, Corel Prison, Dark, Fix-It, Gen, I reject your reality and substitute my own, Memories, Mind Games, Sephiroth and Zack friendship, fortunes, mirages in the desert, off course!, possibly disturbing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-21
Updated: 2018-01-22
Packaged: 2019-03-07 10:59:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13433289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tocasia/pseuds/tocasia
Summary: Thismightbe about how Sephiroth and Zack pay a visit to the Gold Saucer arena to see the new VR technology in action but all does not go as planned.  Except that it does.(7. illusion, reality) for Seph&Zack Friendship 100 Themes





	1. Afterimages

_"Are there ten real suns, or is there only one with ten different names?"_ \- Wang Chong's (c. 80 CE) Lunheng

* * *

The office coffee pot was empty. Zack came in with water to make more while Sephiroth busied himself at his desk.

"Zack, did you go into my room?"

"Nope. Why? Did something weird happen?"

"Not really."

Okaaay. Zack put in a fresh filter and dumped the old in the trash. Well, if Seph wanted to mess with him, he could play along. "Speaking of weird, I had a dream I was blond."

"Some people would say unkind things about that."

Zack continued, unperturbed. "What if it's a sign? Should I dye it?"

"No."

"Like, 'it wouldn't suit you' no, or 'Fair, under no circumstances are you to' no?"

"Both."

"So have you got everything ready for the mission?"

"What mission?"

"The one to the Gold Saucer to check out the new VR tech at the arena!"

* * *

The Gold Saucer tram glittered in the sun, a snazzy metallic blue. The cables spanned mountains, but the ride was almost always smooth. A miracle of engineering. Sephiroth sat across from him, looking bored.

"This brochure highlights the new features they're trying to sell us," Zack said. "They're bragging that the equipment can withstand even the powerful magic of summons. Wanna test that?"

"No, I'm not going to try to break it. Not today."

"Awww."

"Have they added a security checkpoint for ribbon detection to minimize house losses in the absence of employee supervision yet?"

"You mean the status wheels are rigged?" Zack gasped in feigned surprise.

"Off course."

"Ha! Hey, maybe that's how they make 1/35 SOLDIER figures? Set it to Mini and send in the petrify monsters?"

Sephiroth smiled. "I doubt it. But thank you for convincing me to be the one at the controls for the tests, while you do the fighting. I've got an extra Soft you can borrow."

"Uh, thanks. I was hoping we'd both get to work the console? But the mission file wasn't specific. Except about the new safety measures."

"And what are those?" Sephiroth asked.

"The moat of boiling blood has been replaced by a wave machine with food coloring to conform to recently updated hygiene regulations."

"I have the strangest feeling that's false."

"They're seeking an expert opinion of its authentic realism. That's why they called you in."

"You're kidding."

"Yeah," Zack said.

* * *

Ultra-professionally, with no chocobo-related detours whatsoever, they went straight to Battle Square. Sephiroth made it up the stairs first. And stopped.

"Unfortunately, it seems the demonstration will have to be delayed...." he commented.

Zack stared at the carnage. The arena lobby was strewn with corpses. The receptionist, slumped over her desk. Crumpled heaps, some smaller than others, in front of the sparking high-score displays riddled with bullet holes. Death had come quickly; no one had had a chance to run or crawl away. Security was nowhere in sight.

Were they the first ones on the scene?

This wasn't Wutai. Here, civilian casualties were different. He felt sick.

Sephiroth took charge. "Phoenix downs. After the Cures we'll ask them what happened."

"Yessir. I'll take this side."

Within minutes, all the victims were revived and stable. They were frightened, still in shock, but Zack was patient and kind with his questions, reassuring. He and Sephiroth finished gathering information at about the same time.

"Report."

"Sir. It was a man with a gun on his arm. And they are very grateful that we showed up when we did."

Sephiroth nodded. "The stories match."

"There's a room full of infinite monsters _r_ _ight there!_ Why'd this guy have to shoot innocent people?"

"I wonder."

"Hold it right there!" Dio and his posse of guards appeared. Their accusatory glances melted after an awkward moment. "Oh! It seems you've got it all under control, sirs."

"Yes," Sephiroth confirmed, "But we arrived after the fact. Were there cameras?"

"We'll check, General, sir."

There was some swearing on the comm between security officers, swiftly hushed, but Zack had no problem deciphering the words.

"Not him again!"

"Who?"

"The man with the gun for an arm."

"Wasn't he already in prison? How'd he get out?"

"Dunno. Rumor is they call him the boss down there. Profile mentions possible connections to a terrorist organization, FIRESTORM."

Bingo. That was all Zack needed. No doubt Seph was also listening. Justice would be done.

"We're gonna catch this guy, right?" he asked.

Sephiroth didn't answer.

The guards fidgeted nervously.

Dio began with a genteel cough. "Hate to impose, but do you think you could help bring him in, General? We can't have him doing this anymore."

"Certainly."

Ah, so he'd been waiting for the official request. Everything was politics.

"You two. Lead us to the elevator to Corel Prison. You'll provide the details on the way."

"Yes sir."

"Let's go, Fair."

Zack whispered so only Sephiroth could hear. "Huh? He went back down there? On purpose?"

The General just shrugged, so Zack shut up.

* * *

The elevator shaft was sweltering. No one spoke; Sephiroth had already gotten the summary he'd asked for. There was precious little to go on. Finally they reached the ground, where it was even hotter, and the security doors parted momentarily with a hiss, allowing Zack his first glimpse of the prison. Conditions were... Zack had seen his share of burned-out villages. He had not expected to see one today. This was far worse than the filthy camp of tents the former inhabitants had fled to.

"I thought Corel and North Corel were the same town...."

Sephiroth's reply was gentle. "We were in... overseas when it happened. A rebellion, if I recall."

"When they said it got buried in only 4 years, I thought they just meant economically, cause the reactor made the coal obsolete...."

Merely as a formality, the guards inquired if they wanted an escort. Sephiroth waved them away.

"Yessir. But don't stay down here too long, or you'll end up like them." He pointed to a group of prisoners in a line. "Something about this place, or the desert, it gets hard to tell what's real. Drives 'em mad."

"Thank you for your concern."

The doors closed and the elevator zoomed upwards without them, leaving Zack and Sephiroth to their mission.

It wasn't worth the trouble to respond to the convicts' welcoming jeers.

Zoned by apathetic iron fences, the sand was littered with sheet metal. Empty Mako tubing flowed past a weathered HIGH VOLTAGE sign. Abandoned vehicles lay scattered, including a silver truck with a peeling Shinra logo. And an _awesome_ blue racecar! In really bad shape.

"Did they race cars in Corel before chocobos became more popular?" Zack wondered.

"Quiet." Sephiroth pulled him into the nearest ruined building.

Footsteps previously muffled by sand followed them inside. And came closer....

"The men tailing us. Kill them."

Let's see, the most painless would be... Zack snapped their necks and two bodies hit the floor. He'd already executed the order when he realized that Sephiroth had given it loud enough for them to hear.

Aware of his unease, Sephiroth explained but not really. "We can't have them following us to the target. I want to ask him some questions."

To Zack's relief, Sephiroth clarified. "No, not like that. I hope that won't be necessary."

* * *

"This way," the General commanded.

"Huh? You know where he went? Then this'll be a piece of cake!"

"Actually...." Sephiroth trailed off, puzzled by his own uncertainty. "I'm not sure. But it seems right."

Zack sighed. Well, if you were gonna follow someone into the desert trusting solely in their intuition... it didn't matter who you picked because that was just stupid.

"Hey, wait," Zack said. "Before we go too far, what are we looking for?"

Sephiroth sounded more confident this time. "The place where the air shimmers most. There's a pile of junk... mostly cars. It's hotter there because of sunlight reflecting on metal, but underneath is shade. We'll keep this chasm on our right; soon it will join up with the other at our destination."

Okay, well, it was a lot safer with a landmark to go by.

Zack scanned for threats as they walked. The clear horizon wasn't that reassuring, since monsters in the area had a tendency to erupt out of the sand or drop out of the sky or look like people.

He'd brought an Ice materia with him, so thankfully he didn't have to worry about water.

Withered bushes all looked the same.

"Over there," Zack pointed. "Is that it?"

"Yes."

Sun on chrome and old paint undiminished by rust was blinding. Sharp bits stuck out dangerously along sandy paths. It'd take no effort, but you'd have to be pretty hungry to want to fry an egg here.

Not-so-distant gunshots bounced off scrap metal.

"Guess he's at home and in a bad mood," Zack said. "How are we gonna do this?"

"I'd prefer it if he stayed alive for now. I'm going to ask him something. Don't attack him, and don't interrupt me. If he goes for the cliff, grab him. If he tries to run, knock him out. But I don't think he will. He's more likely to shoot. It shouldn't be a problem, but don't get hit."

"Got it."

* * *

Dude was buff, totally ripped. Dark-haired. Had kinda a commando thing going on. No Mako eyes, though. The gun arm appeared to have just a single barrel. Most importantly, he was absolutely pissed off. Not many had the capacity for the kind of rage that hung perceptively in the air. Zack was surprisingly okay with the idea of not fighting him. You never knew what limit breaks people had. Not that Zack wouldn't kick his ass if he had to. He'd deserve it.

"Dyne."

Seph knew the guy's name? It somehow hadn't been in the briefing.

The man called Dyne whirled around, gun trained on the speaker's heart. His eyes widened slightly, because everybody recognized General Sephiroth, but Zack didn't sense fear. Maybe there was no room for it next to the rage.

"So they finally sent someone to finish the job...." Dyne fired a warning shot into the ground.

Sephiroth said, "You killed those people at the Gold Saucer, and it wasn't the first time. Why?"

"I got nothing to say to Shinra."

"Shinra's not the one who wants to hear."

"The hell do _you_ care for!?"

"I'm curious." The air shimmered, baking in the sun.

Sephiroth took a step closer.

"Tell me. How did it go, before? Was it like... this?"

Words spilled from Dyne's mouth, like a recording or bad lip sync. "I told you... I... I want to destroy everything... This crazy world... Even me... Everything... The people of this city. This city itself. The whole world!" Each admission was punctuated by echoes of shots Zack hadn't seen.

"Yes, that's right." Sephiroth practically purred.

What the _hell?_ Zack was almost as terrified as Dyne, who said, "An' you think I shouldn't? Like SOLDIER'S one to talk! I got nothing left in this world."

"How do you plan to do it?"

Destroy the whole world? Was Dyne really that dangerous?

Another shot, expertly aimed, clearly belonged to the here and now. Sephiroth caught the bullet in his hand. No way.

"You don't have a plan, do you? Not on the proper scale. A few murders at the Gold Saucer, that's all you're capable of."

Dyne only glared in response. He'd learned that the gun wouldn't work, and wasn't stupid.

"One more question, and then you may do as you wish."

"Yeah?"

"Would you still want that destruction, if Corel had never burned?"

"The #$^% kinda question is that!?"

"Answer."

"I'd like to say no, but I...." Rage warred with forgotten hope.

Sephiroth waited expectantly, watching with disturbing intensity. Enjoying this.

"No."

Seemingly satisfied, Sephiroth nodded. "Corel never burned."

That was... cruel. Sure, Shinra covered things up, but Corel really was gone. Maybe Zack should say something? No, he'd been ordered not to interrupt, so he wouldn't. The man was guilty, anyway.

" _How dare you!_ " If he'd been angry before, Dyne was understandably _furious_ now. No one liked being toyed with.

"Come with me, and I'll show you." Spoken as a friendly offer. Zack almost believed it.

"I'd rather die than fall for Shinra's lies again!" Spit missed the General's boot.

Sephiroth laughed. "You can die later. But first I will give you the truth. Come." An order.

"#$^% you! You said I could do as I wished!"

"You wish to see." An immutable _fact_.

Dyne took one last look back at the wooden grave markers and followed Sephiroth in a daze. The General had that effect sometimes. He was easy to follow.

Zack didn't understand. Why hadn't Seph killed the guy? Wasn't that what Dio wanted them to do?

"It doesn't _always_ have to end in despair."

* * *

They walked in fuming silence.

The afternoon heat got worse as they left the mirages of the scrapheap behind.

Zack realized he hadn't spoken aloud back there.

The main area of the prison wasn't far.

Zack had never seen Corel before it burned, but this wasn't it. Nothing was different. Weary prisoners lounged in meager shadows. Racecars were still wrecks, charred homes were still burnt out. So... it was all a trick to lure Dyne into the open? Proof for the Gold Saucer's guards? Had the mission changed without him knowing?

It didn't make sense. Sephiroth led them to the building where Zack had killed the two men, where the small mercy he'd intended to grant was denied by his commander's fickle cruelty. It was hard not to resent that. They'd been criminals, but.... Inside, it was still hot, and dry, and stale. Better than beneath the blaring sun. Now that he thought about it, this must've been the old town hall.

Zack searched Dyne's face for feelings of betrayal, ready to catch him if he tried to escape.

But that emotion was nowhere to be found, because....

Reality had fractured along some invisible axis, unfolding millions of creases, and Zack knew he shared Dyne's look of stunned disbelief.

The bodies weren't here anymore, and neither were the stains. All the glass in the cabinet glimmered resplendent and whole. Derelict couches displayed their original bright golden color. Windows once dimmed were clear as day; sounds of the prosperous town filtered in. Two women, dressed in red, gossiping. "Oh! Did he really?", and then one blushing sweetly, ring sparkling in her hand, as the other exclaimed in delight, "Harold, you old fox!" A shrieking, laughing boy chasing dogs in the street, the rumble of a hard-at-work bulldozer. The dusty breeze brought the scent of leaves. Under the shade of the water tower, a young woman stood waiting, while the little girl at her feet drew pictures in the dirt with a stick.

"Corel never burned," Sephiroth repeated.

Dyne clasped the pendant around his neck in a white-knuckled grip. He obviously didn't trust his senses, but mortal fear of losing this inexplicable chance proved stronger than reason. He crossed wordlessly to the far door, opened it, and stepped out into the neatly swept street.

Zack started to go after him, eager to explore too, or stop him, or whatever, but....

The air rippled with beyond heat, colder than it was warm, and instead of that fading vision, a familiar past became real again; one that remembered embers flying into the sky when roofs collapsed. Many layers of grime covered the windowpanes, through which Zack saw that the scorched remains of Corel had returned to desert squalor. There was no sign of Dyne, no sign that anything had ever been otherwise.

Zack couldn't help it. He demanded an explanation. "What the hell was that, Seph? An illusion? You can...? How? He walked into it like it was real! That was the guy we were sent to find, right? So why did you let him live?"

"I told you why."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to my brother for keeping me company during refresher playthroughs, helping me notice that the geography of Corel makes no sense, and for saying 'wave machine' about the arena.


	2. Afterimages Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes. There is a Part 2. I edited it out, and now I'm editing it back in. I'm gonna decide this is meta.

Struggling, a nagging memory of a different past fell into ruin, but would not die a quiet death.

* * *

"I told you why."

"What about the rest, then?"

* * *

Zack blinked and rubbed his eyes. He'd successfully completed the mission to eradicate the rampaging monsters in the Gold Saucer and now the technicians would be able to repair the damaged arena. It'd be online again in a couple days and maybe they'd even add some new features. Dio had given him eight free passes that he planned to distribute among the promising Seconds. Before he left Corel, he'd help out the local economy by buying a dozen potions from a nearby stall, and then he'd go listen to the old man (his name was Harold) talk about trains. The stories were so good that Zack wouldn't mind the inevitable repeats.

Wait. He paused in what counted as a street. Something was strange. He knew a secret.

* * *

"No. It would hurt you to remember. I don't want that."

* * *

It was over. Too many bullets. Midgar in the rain on the horizon, behind the hill, taunting. _So close!_ Movement in the corner of his eye; Cloud crawling slowly towards him. Poor kid.

Someone else was here, too, by his side at the last.

"Knew you'd snap out of it eventually, Seph." Why did his chest hurt so bad? "Do you think, everything could go back to the way it was?"

"That can be arranged."

* * *

This was the library, so it was a whisper. "For the third time, Zack, I have no particular interest in 'Heidegger's Shinra Peacekeeping Law'."

"Not even if it's in the wrong section?" Zack grinned. "Me neither. I'll grab something else." He slotted the book of philosophy back where he'd found it, and, feigning nonchalance, chose another aisle. This was a good spot. He waited, then glanced furtively over his shoulder. Possibly unaware, Sephiroth held Heidegger's masterpiece in a careful grip, strands of hair swaying with the motion of his head as his eyes darted from shelf to shelf. Eventually he sighed in disgust and left the room, intent on returning the lost volume to its proper place across the hall.

Cute. Zack felt a little guilty, though. Wait, what was this?

The name on the binding was familiar....

He flipped through the pages, unable to stop despite his mounting horror at the sterile, clinical descriptions of a nightmarish childhood his friend had always denied.

"That report still exists? Hmm."

Zack didn't attempt to conceal what he'd been reading, knowing it was written on his face.

"Seph, this is awful, what they did to you...."

Where was the denial?

No way. No one could remain expressionless about this.

"Doesn't it bother you at all?" It bothered Zack a lot.

"It did, once. Now most of it is false. And... I take better care of books than I used to."

* * *

Zack leaned against the door frame, peering into Seph's office, watching him work.

He noticed something cool. "You don't use materia to cast when you do that. The thing with the fire."

Sephiroth was visibly shaken. The tiny flames weaving idly between his fingers wavered, flickering. He didn't catch the pen he'd been signing with when it rolled off the desk. He frowned, more unnerved than Zack had ever seen him.

"You know that's not possible. Go get some rest."

Oops. Seph hadn't known he was there? Or maybe hadn't realized he was doing it? "Sorry."

"But you're right." He had that far away look. "The last time I used materia was to set the fires in Nibelheim. After that I didn't need it, because...." He closed his fist around the flame.

Thinking fast, Zack tried to soften his concern with humor. "What, you mean like a campfire or something? Did we make s'mores?"

Sephiroth gave sort of a twisted half-smile, "No, but..." and a little laugh, "We can, if you want to."

* * *

"Don't look so horrified. You didn't know what you were saying at the time."

* * *

"Did you go into my room?" Sephiroth asked.

"No," Zack said.

He really hadn't! He didn't know how they got there! But then, somehow, his statement became a lie, since this was a better explanation.

Zack stood looming above Sephiroth's bed, hefting a huge yellow bucket full of long black feathers. Grinning with mischief, he upended the container over his superior officer's sleeping head.

Sephiroth's eyes flew open and he sneezed. "Fair. You have a five minute head start to think about what I will do to you when I catch you."

Zack skipped away without worry, safe in the knowledge that, after Seph finished sweeping feathers from the carpet and picking them out of his hair, it'd probably take more than five minutes for his friend to stop laughing.

No, that wasn't right! He'd never been in Sephiroth's room. He didn't even know what it looked like.

He had a point, and so the thing with the feathers hadn't happened at all.

* * *

"It doesn't _always_ have to end in despair."

Zack agreed with the sentiment and was about to say so despite his confusion, when the feeling struck suddenly with the weight of absolute conviction.

Everything had, once.

* * *

On the cliff, the rain had stopped. Next to him was the too-still form of the friend he hadn't been able to save. The troopers responsible had left, job well done, but Zack wasn't alone. Tilting his head up took so much effort.

"Seph, is that you? Am I dead?"

 "Yes."

"You look like an angel."

"I'm flattered. However...." A dark chuckle. "I rather outrank all angels."

"...?"

"The whole world is dead, Zack. Except for me."

"...you're not just a lucky survivor, are you."

"No."

* * *

"Ultimately, there are only a very few things that cannot be undone, now that reality is mine to decide." Sephiroth's voice carried no hint of apology or regret. "I try to forget with you in some of the dreams for a while, but..." mild frustration did little to conceal pleased contentment beneath, "It's not such an easy thing to deny. Nor should it be. What will you say, this time? You weren't meant to see, especially not a cascade like that."

Uh huh, sure he wasn't. Zack fought back his anger. He'd _known_ Sephiroth messed with people for fun; that had never been hidden. But the _scale_.... Why had he _ever_ believed himself exempt? It was the smallest of comforts that maybe Sephiroth hadn't wanted to face that truth either, nor the other: that someone so powerful, who so hated self-deception, had constructed a lie to satisfy his 'pitiable' need for something as simple and innocent as friendship.

Ha! What was he thinking? No, he wouldn't feel _sorry_ for Sephiroth. _He_ had anything and everything he wanted, while Zack probably wouldn't be allowed to remember any of this, unless that cruelty was part of the game. It easily could be.

"I thought God didn't make mistakes," Zack spat, with all the bitterness he could muster.

Sephiroth laughed. "Perfection comes only through practice. And it is not a lie, Zack. By the time we get there, I hope.... Don't worry. I will try again."

* * *

They were in Reeve's office, because last week Zack had stumbled upon something amazing he just had to share.

Sephiroth was incredulous. "A stuffed cat on a mog?"

"Told you it was cool!"

"Is it another espionage device commissioned by Tseng? A very creative approach to stealth, if so. No one would ever suspect. What does it do?"

Reeve delicately ignored the first half of the question. "I thought the Gold Saucer might appreciate my design. It's cute, isn't it, sir? And it can play music." With proud confidence, he pushed a button on a remote. The sweet notes of sleazy jazz featuring rock organs filled the room. It was kinda catchy.

Predictably, Sephiroth raised an eyebrow.

"That's not all. It tells fortunes. Watch!" Reeve pressed a different button. The robot moved its arms and legs wildly in a frantic marching dance and then presented the General with what seemed to be a business card. Indeed, it was one of Reeve's.

"What does it say?" Zack asked.

"It's blank." Sephiroth held it up so they could see.

"What? Out of ink?" Reeve rummaged through his desk for a screwdriver.

"Guess you get to write your own," Zack suggested.

"Hmm." Sephiroth retrieved a pen from an inside coat pocket. "Or maybe...." He kept the card covered as he wrote. "Here." He handed it to Zack face down.

"Huh?"

"Take it. It's yours. It'd be no fun if it wasn't a surprise," Sephiroth said.

"Yeah, you're right." Zack turned the card over.

_Ask a friend to join you on your next voyage.  
Friends don't let friends do stupid things... alone._

Zack smiled. "Like a whitewater rafting trip north of Corel? On the river that's so rough no one's named it yet? And then exploring the legendary materia cave there?"

"That works."

"Ha! Knew you'd say yes eventually! Hey and maybe this little guy can come too if Reeve can get him waterproofed."

"Good idea! I'll see what I can do!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am amazing for making it this far in the series without doing this. And then for editing it out. And then for editing it back in. It felt... dishonest... not to. I still don't know if I should've done it. You may tell me if you like.
> 
> Thanks to my brother for the description of Cait Sith's theme that I found charming.
> 
> 'The Jenova Project' is actually one of the files used in the Mayor's password guessing game for a keycard in the Shinra library. Yep. It's right there.
> 
> "Good friends don't let you do stupid things... alone." - Ain Eineziz 
> 
> I had some fun looking at fortune cookie sayings for this. One of the ones that made me laugh was "Your infinite capacity for patience will be rewarded sooner or later."


End file.
